With the completion of his first radio control model, the Scorpio Java 150, Jason Williams our visiting beginner decided to try something with a little more character.
Specifications: Wing Span: 61.8" (1570mm) Weight: 3.1 lb. (1400g) Power: 600 size electric (also suitable for .15 - . 20 size I/C conversion) Radio: 3 channel with 2 servos for rudder elevator control & 22Amp ESC.
The Ripmax Zephyr made a good choice as it is ARTF, electric powered, still only 3 channels to worry about getting together and it goes together very easily with minimal tools or experience.

Opening the box we find a very well packed model. Several pre-covered components make up the majority of the package. Each part is wrapped and separated by a cardboard divider Fuselage, wings, tail & fin are all pre-built, hinged and covered with high quality translucent film. Striking high visibility colour scheme in contrasting yellow and purple looks just the part for a nice days flying in the park. Two hardware packs are supplied. The first contains all the control rods, horns, dowels and fixings, the second has the wheels and pre-bent undercarriage wire. Of course there is also the all important sticker pack which is contrast colour coordinated.

To complete this model the following items are required. A 600 size motor & prop, electronic speed controller of 20 - 30 Amp, 7 cell flight battery pack, 2 servos & a minimum 3 channel receiver. Additional items are a sharp knife or scalpel, sand paper or sanding block, some small screwdrivers & glue ( cyanoacrilate used throughout in this review ) Other items are a suitable flight pack charger and for conversion to I/C, a suitable glow engine can be added. The manual includes provision for an I/C version and this will be covered as a conversion project later in the year. The instruction & assembly document is well laid out and covers all construction as well as important safety notes for both electric & I/C versions and building procedures for both versions.

The main wing is an open built up structure covered with strong translucent yellow film. It is well made and the film cuts very easily on the parts it must be removed from. First job is to cut the dihedral tip slots in the film and remove the wooden wedges. Trim off all the excess film to ensure a good gluing surface. Bending the tip backwards slightly allows the glue nozzle right into the gap to ensure an even covering. Squeezing the wing together to push the glue out evenly, wipe any excess glue off the film with a damp cloth. Hold the wing tip in place until the glue holds and cover the join with clear tape to ensure no dirt (or fuel at some later point) get into the joint. This is repeated twice, once for each wing panel. When the two tips are fixed and the glue has set the two wing halves can be joined together. This is a straightforward job of coating the centre rib with glue and pressing them together. An extra pair of hands come in very useful here as the two halves are not keyed. Ensure all excess glue is wiped off the wing before it cures. Clear tape is again used to cover the joint to keep dirt etc out. NB: A considered method of doing this alone would be to tape the bottom edges of the wing together to ensure they are aligned and then put glue into the gap and gently press the halves together. Dihedral braces are made up of a single strip and a double strip joined together which fit into slots pre-cut into the underside of the wing. Both braces required a fair amount of sanding to fit flush into the holes and might catch out the unwary if glued in without checking alignment. Sanding with them glued in place may risk damaging the covering on the underside of the wing. The final task on the main wing it to fit the band reinforcements. This prevents the wing bands crushing the thin trailing edge sheet under flight loads. A small area of covering is removed and two ply plates are glued into place where the bands sit.

With the main wing completed construction moves onto the tail surfaces. Both surfaces are built up structure and pre-covered and hinged. Again very well built and the covering is excellent. The area where the tail fixes to the fuselage has to have the film removed to ensure a good gluing surface. The tail is lined up on the fus' and marked with a pencil. The film is then cut out from inside the pencil marks to make and exact fit. Marking the leading edge of the tail makes it easier to align with the fuselage once the glue is applied. Working with cyano can be a little tricky if not experienced as it can go off very quickly. The less experienced should use epoxy resin which takes longer to go off and allows for the part to be repositioned a few times. Once the tail has set the film is removed from the slot to allow the fin and rudder to be fitted. This is a very simple tab and slot fitting and aligning upright is very easy. A quick check with an engineers square shows all is well.

The fuselage is almost complete straight out of the box. Using a built up structure for most of the framework and sheeting for the nose area for additional strength. Very well built and covered with the braced frame visible through the film giving a very old time look to the model. Doublers are fitted at the sides, front and rear of the nose section. This gives additional strength for the motor/engine and the undercarriage wire. The longerons fit through slots in the formers and run to the back of the cabin area. The centre cabin former needs a little slight of hand here as if fitted into place and glued the longeron does not bend sufficiently to fit into the slot. The former has to be laid into the fuselage at an angle and the longeron fitted through the slot. Then the former can be pulled upright and glued into place. This could catch out a beginner without additional guidance to help solve the problem or alert them to the potential problem. With the longerons in place they are held with pegs or small clamps and glued into the fuselage. The motor mount and centre nose former are next to go in. A slight oversight on the manual reading meant parts from the i/c version were glued in before realising we had picked up the wrong sheet. This was not a problem as an i/c conversion is on the cards and it just meant the electric motor mounting plate had to be trimmed to fit. The top cabin former comes in two halves and is glued together before fitting. Slight sanding was needed to fit correctly and again this may catch inexperienced modellers out as the tight fit could split the fuselage sides if the part is forced into place. The tail skid is another two piece part. Both the sides are glued together and a little sanding is required to get them to match and fit the slot in the lower fuselage. Again a small area of covering film is removed to ensure a good wood to wood gluing surface. One very nice finishing touch is this steel wire insert which will prevents the tail skid wearing too quickly, very handy on concrete or such harsh places as the gritty test area of Bumpy Greens electric flying site.

Moving inside the fuselage the ply servo tray is next out of the sheet of parts. Slight trimming of the servo hole was required to fit the standard size servos. Mini servos were considered but the hole is clearly too big for those and it was decided to stick with the standard servos already purchased for this kit. With the servos secured into the tray, it is lowered into the fuselage and pushed into place. This is secured onto the longerons with cyano. The control snakes are secured at the servo end by means of a slotted ply brace. This was fitted flush with the servo tray and was a little too low for the rear servo so an additional slot was made in the upper edge to secure the rod into. The control rods are cut to length and the snakes trimmed to fit flush into the fuselage slots. The snake ends are fixed to the fuselage slots with cyano and held in place until set. The adjustment and connection is a new arrangement and a vast improvement on the standard plastic clevice. Using a threaded brass cup glued on the end of the control rod, a standard forked clevice screwed onto the cup and a brass pin which secures the clevice to the control horn. This replaces the plastic moulded pin on previous plastic clevices which seems to be the main failure point of the standard plastic clevice.

Pre-bent undercarriage wire is supplied along with very light wheels with foam tyres. The wheels are fixed to the wires with star washers which press onto the ends of the wire. This took a little bit of doing as they are quite sharp if pushed hard with fingertips. The wire fits into a shaped recess in the bottom of the fuselage and is secured by a triangular fillet, which is glued into place between the legs.   This method does make it very easy to get the undercarriage straight and in the correct place. The wing is held on by way of a 3 pointed band system. A dowel is set in the front of the cabin area facing forwards and another dowel is at the rear of the cabin at a right angle to the fuselage. Here you can see the triangular arrangement of the bands when the wing is fixed in place.

Ripmax offer an range of Lightspeed electric motors, 540 Sport 35 turn, 400 and 600 size with internal capacitors fitted. The Lightspeed 600 was the choice of power for the Zephyr. This rated for direct drive from 4.8v to 9.6v. No load speed 15,500rpm, current drain at max efficiency 11Amps & weighs 230g. Designed for optimal use at 8.4v and comes with internal suppression pre-fitted.   Ripmax Xtra 22 Electronic speed controller features 22A rating for 5 to 10 cells, 5v 1A BEC, static motor brake, thermal cut off and weighs just 17g. Ripmax 8.4v Match flight pack consists of 7 x Sanyo SC2000 cells and weighs 416g. The motor is secured by two countersunk stainless steel bolts which hold the motor tight against the double ply front bulkhead. There is also lots of room inside for the addition of a gearbox at a later date. Xtra 22 speed controller soldered directly to the motor as it is very easy to access for removal. 8 x 4 electric propeller fitted, with suitable matched spinner. A quick test with a flight pack connected saw the fuselage section move easily across the kitchen floor. The speed controller was secured with velcro in the front compartment while the switch was set into the fuselage and screwed into place. Battery is held in place by a large block of soft foam. This holds the battery firmly in it's unusual upright position but doesn't strain the fuselage. The receiver is mounted above the foam with velcro strips and all wiring is tucked away neatly to prevent trapping it under the wing. The canopy/motor cover is supplied clear and can be painted. Flexible black paint was used in this case to prevent cracking when the canopy is removed. It is help on by clear tape at the sides, back and front. The front wing dowel protrudes through the canopy and the bands hold the top of the canopy in place quite nicely. Stickers are then applied as per taste, the wing is secured straight and everything is tested one last time before heading to the flying field.

With a bit of sub-trim and travel adjust required on the rudder and a lowering of the elevator drive rates to a more suitable level it was ready for it's first flight. Standing by ready for that important maiden voyage. A cool evening with a slowly sinking sun was the setting for the first test flight of the Zephyr. With a couple of battery packs charged, transmitter set up and cameras ready we headed to the electric flying site. The relatively smooth gritted surface of the electric test site meant the Zephyr was able to rotate from ground, with the wind blowing straight up the field it;s tail soon came up and it lazed into the air. I would suggest a hand launch on anything but the shortest grass. It was a little bit gusty and the model being rudder elevator is not very quick to respond to left/right inputs. This is soon compensated for with some clever stick inputs and slow gentle circuits, at half throttle or less make for a relaxed and enjoyable flying style. Very quiet and smooth in the air, the Zephyr gracefully ambles around the sky, almost seems to hang motionless in the air with a decent head wind. Open the throttle to make some headway up wind the a lazy turn for a quick zip downwind. The 2000mAh 7 cell pack lasted about 6 minutes with most of the time spent facing into wind at full power to get up the field then almost gliding back down range on idle. A slight gust of wind right at the moment of touchdown caused the model to bounce, flare up and stall a couple of feet from the ground. Nothing really serious but it did dislodge the tail and bend one of the wire undercarriage legs. Neither of which presents any problem to put right.

A very easy to assemble model with no real difficulties other than some extra sanding being required. Back to earth for the final shot of the day. A very pleasing model to fly that will be ideal for those calm days we occasionally get in the UK. Thoroughly recommended to anyone from a beginner to the more seasoned pilot who might fancy a bit of slow paced peace and quiet. Upgrades: Parts for I/C conversion supplied in kit. 8 cell flight pack to be tested soon. The parts included for building or conversion to I/C power are a short control rod, snake & clevice for the throttle linkage, additional servo tray for throttle control, extra parts for different servo layout and a 2 piece engine mounting plate. This is a nice addition to the otherwise already good kit and will make for a good conversion in the future. The use of an 8cell flight pack is restricted by the position of the pack within the model. A 7 cell pack fits just nicely in the fuselage but there is not enough room for a standard 8 cell pack but the 3/4 C size 8 cells packs such as the CP1700 sold by Overlander offer an increase in electric power at a reduction in capacity. The flight style of this model is such that duration is far more preferable than all out speed and a 7 cell 2400mAh or 3000mAh packs will be the most commonly used for longer flight times.

Article by Jason Williams & John Kent
for Bumpy Green Model Aerodrome
September 2002

Comment by Jacques Des Becquets on 00000000000000. Rating 5

Congratulations on a well-written article! I bought a Zephyr last year and was finally able to complete it in the last few weeks. Finally, I flew it yesterday (June 23 2003) and it delivers a lot in the fun factor under calm conditions. The problem areas noted during the review are the ones I indeed encountered while assembling the model. Yes, the landing gear bent on landing and I will be adding some small piano wire struts from the legs to a little further back along the fuselage floor. As for performance, I may have put in a little too much down while positioning my speed 600 motor, as I had to feed the plane a bit of up while flying. Power comes from an 8-cell pack of 3000s and it seems to work fine. I was a little nervous after trying electrics for the first time in a bit over a decade, but I think I will enjoy flying the Zephyr on those days when the wind shifts too much to stretch the hi-start for my sailplanes... Best regards, Jacques Des Becquets Casselman, Ontario, Canada

Comment by Roger Groves on 00000000000000. Rating none

Bought one et wing n wheels following seeing the kit at the RC Hotel in May powered by Jamara 480 with 3.1 g/box on APC 10x7 elec prop I get 5 mins on 800AR pack 9.6v and 10 plus on recycled 1700Nimh AR type pack.. Normal flights will include touch n goes loops etc. weight is some 12 ozs less than the instructions suggest.... Fabulous value

Comment by Peter on 00000000000000. Rating 4

Hi, have a one and live near the sea and fly at Bemton cliff site in Yorkshire coast have had some very good flights wit here just whatch thermals you get one and cut the motor and she is of up to 500ft plus no problem then you have up wards of an hour in the air. Brill!!!!!

Comment by Pete on 00000000000000. Rating 3

Looks nice and flies well on a 3:1 geared speed 600 motor powered by a 3300mah NiMH pack. Very relaxing to fly on a calm day with just the quiet whir of the motor breaking the silence. I would suggest that landings on anything but a really smooth surface be made over long grass as the small foam wheels do not rotate particularly well and have caused the model to flip over on even the slowest of landings. Disappointed with the strength of the wing as this has broken twice on landing (when the model flipped over). Have now resolved this by fitting a top spar into the centre sections.

Comment by Roy Davies on 20060310132903. Rating 5

Excellent! And a good response from other builders too. I'm tempted to buy one for a small diesel for the fly for fun at the nat's!

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